Beautide ready for title defence

Defending harness racing champion Beautide proved he is ready for his Inter Dominion title defence with a stylish victory at Tabcorp Park Menangle tonight.

The James Rattray -trained pacer bounced back from a disappointing Victorian campaign by capturing a heat of the time-honoured Championship.

With Rattray in the sulky, Beautide was simply a class above his rivals as he cruised to an easy win from For A Reason and Monifieth.

Naturally thrilled with the gelding’s performance, Rattray is confident Beautide will be in perfect condition for the $750,000 Final on March 1.

“He’s had a mixed preparation, but the last month I have been a lot happier with him,” Rattray said.

Covering the last half in 56.1 seconds, the son of Bettors Delight rated 1:54.4 for the 2400 metres.

In the second Sydney-based qualifier, Ultimate Art caused a major upset by scoring at $22.70 on the tote.

After enjoying the run of the race behind the leader, Easy On The Eye, Ultimate Art grabbed the lead in the shadows of the post score by a head from the pacemaker, with New Zealand raider, Terror To Love a head away third.

Trained and driven by Michael Formosa, the son of Modern Art rated 1:57 to register his first win from six starts this season.

“We were travelling so well I almost came out in front of Terror To Love when he made his move, but I didn’t want to get too cocky and wanted to make sure we qualified,” Formosa said

Ultimate Art is no stranger to Group One glory at the 1400-metre circuit, having annexed the Four-Year-Old Breeders’ Challenge Final last term.

• PAUL COURTS